Ethereal
by Minimalist Redox
Summary: When both humans and Helghasts discover genetically advanced individuals in their midst, the war on Helghan begins to escalate as these 'Ethereals' begin to step up combat to another level.  AU
1. The Seer

**Okay, so, hi there! I don't claim to know a massive amount about the Killzone universe… but I just wanted to give this idea a try. It's a little out there, which is why I'm counting it as AU. I don't think many people will like this idea, it might be too much.**

**Okay, play the over-dramatic explanation-summary-thing!**

_AD 2358: The Second Extrasolar War has led to discovery. A gene, one of those that is shared by Human and Helghast alike, has begun to mutate in a few individuals. These individuals have developed abnormally high levels of brain activity, giving them extraordinary post-human abilities. The ISA is still only just learning about these extraordinary individuals who have passed unnoticed for years, but on Helghan, the investigations into these 'Ethereals' as they have been dubbed, has been going on secretly for a decade. The Helghast, pushed back from their assault on Vekta, has begun to locate 'Ethereal' Helghast with increasing desperation, in an attempt to harness their abilities for use in warfare, planning to turn their dangerous and unstable powers as living weapons. Scholar Visari, who himself is 'bonded' to an Ethereal, whose brain activity is complementary to his own, allowing her powers to amplify, believes that the Ethereals are a yet another sign of his people's superiority, unaware that the first generation of Ethereal humans is finally stepping into the light. On Vekta, the council debates what should be done about their own Human Ethereals; most of whom are already serving in the military. _

**** Pyrrhus, Capital of the Helghan Empire. AD 2358 ****

"What do you see?"

The Seer shifted her gaze. Her eyes seemed empty… the milky white of blindness gazed over at the silhouette of a smartly dressed man before her. She turned away from the doorway, and pulled the heavy red hood from her head, revealing an almost-bald head, with strings of grey hair hanging around her crown. She focused, the post-human energy flowing through her mind. A figure appeared in her mind. Flashes of a life not her own.

"I have found her. Do not fret. But she is the only other. The others… are dead."

"Where?" The man urged. He took a step forwards into the gloomy depths of The Seer's chamber. She had never said what her name was. She always was and always had been simply 'The Seer'. He did not ask those questions, because he did not need to know those answers. She told him only what he and the people needed to know.

"Here. This city. She is working in your 'information delivery' program. Information runners. Delivering documents too sensitive to be handled by machinery."

"I need a _name _Seer." He moved forwards once again. She turned to him. Her bonded individual returned her gaze. Just the fact his complementary mind was in range fuelled her, but it wasn't enough. Not for what he needed.

"Then lend me your mind, Scholar Visari." The old woman rasped, reaching out her claw-like fingers to him. Visari, without hesitation (he was used to this process by now) lowered himself to one knee. She placed her palms on the side of his bald head. He felt his mind, once again, melt into hers… the feeling of such power surging into his body was indescribable… He felt like he had, in that one moment, already achieved victory.

"Ahh…" The Seer reeled backwards, suddenly releasing his mind from hers. He gasped, the headache hitting him like a blow to the side of his skull. Another unfortunate side-effect of the Ethereal's powers.

"Her name is Zosia Novolov…" She gasped, finally. She too, took a few steps back, leaning against the map table in the centre of the room. The Seer was over a century old… and she didn't half look it. Barely reaching 5 feet in height, she was a gnarled, pallid old thing, twisted by radiation and the effects of high gravity. She wore heavy red and ash grey clothing, to hide herself… or was it to hide everyone else from her?

Scholar Visari rose to his feet, dusting himself off, trying to regain the last swimming corners of his mind, before he asked his final question.

"And her bonded one?"

The Seer broke into a horrible, almost-toothless grimace. She had been waiting for this one. She turned to him, gazing up at him with her baleful, milk-white eyes.

"You need not fear his nature, Autarch. He is, after all, your hound to command." She said, finally, in her rasping, tired voice.

Visari's own mouth creased upwards into a knowing smirk. This would work out much better than planned.

**** Elsewhere ****

"What the hell are you doing now? Springers, why the fuck do you spend all your spare time writing in this shitty little book?"

Corporal Harvey Springwell, known to most as 'Springers', reached forwards a hand and snatched the notebook back from his team mate. Springers was an old fashioned sort of guy. He liked putting pen to paper, it just didn't feel the same using a computer or data pad. He'd not really intended to join the ISA. He wasn't a fighting guy. But Vekta had little call for poets now, and he wanted to make himself useful, even if it was just because his brother, Denny, could not. The attack on Vekta two years ago had left Denny, Harvey's twin brother, at that time a Sergeant, alive, but paralysed from the waist down. So he made a promise. He'd pick up where Denny left off.

He'd known it was a bad idea from the start… he'd always had… 'Problems'. It started with the time he'd ripped a door off of its hinges, by accident of course, but the fact remained, how could a tall, lanky sort of guy like him do that? He could stand endurance training longer than most of the veterans… so he'd tried desperately to tone it down. Purposefully make mistakes, not try. But it didn't work.

He'd been told he was 'a born soldier'. Hah. Born soldier his ass. More like born freak. He felt about as normal as those damn helmet-men they were fighting.

"I want to leave something behind, Colt. What's wrong with wanting someone to know what I've done?" He replied finally. Beck 'Colt' Colton, fellow corporal and 'partner-in-crime' stared at him disapprovingly.

"You wanna do something worthwhile? Train. You won't have to worry about writing your memoirs if you stay alive. Stop being such a pansy and act like a soldier for once in your goddamn life." Colt retorted, an acid tone in his voice. Colt was, in just about every respect, a true grunt. Foul-mouthed, slums-born and bitter at anyone better off than himself, his only joy was in putting a couple of rounds through a Hig's head. Sometimes Springers wondered how the hell they'd managed to become close at all.

He said nothing, and instead, got up, heading to the viewing port on their quarters, that they shared with the other three members of their team. He'd wanted to leave his home planet… to explore. That was his dream as a young boy. He hadn't imagined it'd be on a massive-scale military operation…

But he'd make it. He always did, much to his own ire. He was strong, and durable… unnaturally so. But underneath… he was a writer. A poet. A 'pansy wordsmith' as he remembered Colt calling him once. And write was something he'd damn well plan to do. There might not be any poetry in war… but there was plenty written about it.


	2. The Messenger

**Second chapter, then… I can safely say I am enjoying writing this. I hope you enjoy reading it. If you do, then I'm glad I've done a good job…**

Colonel Mael Radec saluted briskly as Scholar Visari approached him. He had been in a slightly better mood than usual, the Colonel had noticed. He was about to find out why, by the look of it.

"Radec, come. I have some interesting news for you." He said, waving a hand at him. Radec, without saying a word, followed the Autarch down he long, marble corridors of Visari Palace, towards the more private areas of the building. The quarters of Visari, his private office, his family's quarters. Colonel Radec had not been here much, but such things did not really interest him.

"What news is this, Sir?" He asked, finally, as they reached Visari's private office. It was a lot more modest in design than his main, 'official' office, and lacked the gold, the marble or the splendour. It was the room of a man who had little time for anything other than work.

"We have located the final Ethereal. I have her civilian file here." Visari responded, bringing it up on the display screen behind him.

Colonel Radec quickly scanned the file information. A civilian information runner operative. No record of any sort of problems or misdemeanour, not that there would be if she were still alive. He removed his helmet, finally, revealing his bemused expression.

"Sir, I was under the impression that the Ethereal Programme was being undertaken by the Military Science Division. How does this concern my men?"

Visari grimaced at him, and sunk down into his seat behind his desk, resting his discoloured chin onto one of his knuckles. He indicated with his other hand for Radec to join him. He remained standing.

"It is not your men who are concerned, Colonel. It is you. The Seer…" He said, drifting off, looking around him as through he suddenly suspected someone to be listening.

"The Seer has identified Citizen Novolov's to-be bonded individual as you, Mael Radec. This now directly concerns you. I shall have her sent to you. I need you to keep her with you as much as is possible."

Radec stared at him, taking all the information in before replying, trying to keep his voice steady. He was to baby-sit some civilian? Someone who may prove to be just as useless as the last experiments? He struggled to control his rage as he stood up.

"Sir… with all due respect, I am a _soldier _not a child-minder. I do not have to tell you what my current orders are because you gave them to me."

It was, to Radec, an insult. An insult to his role as a warrior, as the fist of the Helghan Empire. In most circumstances he would not question Visari on anything, but this was too much. It was demeaning. He continued.

"How do you propose I am to keep her with me? I have my duties to attend to."

"She will go with you, Radec. As you have said, you are a soldier. You should know better than anyone, you do not go onto a battlefield without a weapon. She is just another weapon in our arsenal." Scholar Visari said a slight hint of warning in his voice. Radec's anger dispelled. He had pushed too far. Scholar Visari seemed so damn sure that this one would be a success, should he really dispute that?

"When should I expect the Ethereal?" Radec muttered, finally.

"I shall have a dummy package delivered to your office at the Academy tomorrow, and will ensure she is the courier." Came the reply. "This also gives you an opportunity to catch up on your reports." Visari added, after a pause.

Radec frowned as he put his helmet back on. He had become a soldier to fight, not to sit about in an office doing paperwork. But he was a senior officer now, the head of Visari's own personal guard at that, he supposed it was to be expected. He waited for Visari's dismissal before marching out, still unhappy about this whole arrangement.

***** Radec Academy, the Office of Colonel Radec *****

Colonel Radec looked up at the clock reader on his display screen. He snarled to himself, and carried on with his report. He had been working on this same one for three hours. This was why he avoided writing them at all costs.

The Ethereal had not turned up yet. He had instructed his guards to expect a delivery, and to escort her to his office immediately upon her arrival, but there had been nothing yet. It was beginning to grate on his nerves. He wanted to get this over with.

He heard something, finally. At the door. Someone was trying to open it; the handle was rattling.

"Enter." He called.

The handle continued to rattle. He looked up, watching it. What sort of stupid game was this?

"Come in…" He called again, a touch of menace in his voice. The handle began to rattle even more furiously, until Radec, his patience already stretched to breaking point by being cooped up doing paper work all day, stood up, slamming his fists down upon his desk.

"I said ENTER!" He shouted, resisting the urge to march over and kick the door down himself as it finally shunted open, and a figure stumbled in, as if they had been trying to open it by force.

"Sir, y'might want t'get this door fixed, you'll get locked in 'ere one day an' no one will be able to get you out…" A quiet voice said, reproachfully.

Colonel Radec stared at the young woman standing at the door, clutching a parcel. She reminded him a bit of General Metrac, if only for the presence of hair on her head. It was straw-like and brittle, down to her chin and bleached pure white by harsh chemicals in the atmosphere. She was slightly under average height, even for a Helghast woman. Her skin was the usual pallid unhealthy colour of his own, and she watched him with her large, reddened eyes, probably another result of a harsh chemical atmosphere. She didn't look any older than her early twenties, and he expected her slightly more human appearance was due to her Ethereal gene. It still made him grimace in slight disgust.

He ignored her comment, and carried on staring. This was what he was to work with? This small, fragile-looking thing? He walked around his desk, and leant on it slightly, scrutinizing her.

"Close the door." He ordered, finally. She hurriedly did so; he smirked under his breathing mask. At least she was obedient. But then again, he was well known, respected and feared in the military, and in the civilian population alike. She'd probably heard stories about him. Which ones and what had been said, he didn't care to know.

"Here are the files, Colonel Sir…" She mumbled, holding out the package to him. He took it from her, easily ripping it out of her small, pale hands. He threw them on the desk.

"That is not why you were really sent here, Citizen Novolov. It is not the papers we are interested in." He said "I am sure you are intelligent enough to know what I am talking about."

Zosia watched him, now even more visibly nervous than she had been before. How could they even know about that? She had always kept it under wraps… never used it in front of anyone, barely at all!

"Y'mean… those strange things I can do? My sister said it weren't normal, so I stopped doin' it, I ain't used it to do anything, honest…" She squeaked, backing up a little bit.

"Be quiet!" He barked, ignoring her flinch at the tone of his voice. "Scholar Visari himself has sent for you personally! Open the parcel. Now." He ordered, frustration getting the better of him.

She moved forwards, nervously, hesitating at the thought of moving closer to the Colonel. He was terrifying. She had heard stories of his victories. They all had. He was famous, legendary even. He moved away, and Zosia moved over to the package. She opened it carefully, and took out something. A small data screen, the kind used to store video-notes, letters and other things.

An image appeared on the screen. Scholar Visari himself. A small, recorded message, to her. Zosia felt her chest swell with pride at hearing her name, _her _name on the Autarch's lips. He started by explaining that she was a being whose very presence 'shows us all first-hand the superiority of the Helghast' and that he wished her to become 'A Champion of the people', to use what she had been born with to destroy the oppressors of her and her fellows. As the message finished, she broke into tears of pride.

Colonel Radec smiled wryly under his helmet. Very clever. He didn't need to be an intellectual to know what Visari had done; used her own patriotism, the loyalty that lay at the heart of every Helghast, to ease her willingly into compliance.

"Do you understand now? Scholar Visari… places his trust in you." He said, wording his sentence carefully.

"Yes. I… I'll do what I can. For 'im and for everyone else. But… may I ask a question?" Zosia queried, looking up at him. He'd not been close enough to look into her eyes properly until then, and now, stared into them through the lenses of his helmet. In most ways they didn't look any different from any other Helghast's eyes. But there was something in them that he had not seen for years; a level of hope and optimism the people had lost long ago. It was haunting to see. It sent a shockwave through him.

He hurriedly turned his head, moving back towards his desk.

"What is it?" He replied, hurriedly, trying to cover up his momentary lapse in sternness. She moved over to the front of his desk as he sat down behind it. She stood there, awkwardly for a moment, before finally speaking.

"Why did I need to…" She drifted off, not quite sure what to say. She began to twiddle her fingers, like a nervous child. That was what she reminded him of; a stupid, clumsy child.

"Why did you have to come to speak to me? Do you really think that the Autarch would have time to-" He began, then looked up. She was still standing there, looking awkward, twirling her fingers. He felt his ire rise once more.

"Sit down. You don't have to keep standing there looking like a fool… stupid girl." He snapped. She hurriedly sat down, almost missing the chair, and watched him rather intently. She was expecting an answer to her previous question, he supposed.

"I am the individual who has a complimentary brain frequency to your own. A 'bonded' individual, that is what the Military Science Department has called them. When someone… with your 'abilities' is in close range of the bonded individual, your abilities are focused and amplified. That is what I was told, at least. But I hope they can find someone else. I am too busy to deal with you."

They sat in silence for a moment, as Radec picked up his stylus and carried on with his reports on the screen in front of him. Zosia watched him, the feeling of fear fading slightly, replaced with something different. Awkwardness. She hadn't been dismissed, but he didn't seem to have anything else to say to her. She watched him, and slowly stood up.

"Uh… Colonel Radec, sir?"

"What is it?" He snapped.

"May I… go home now?"

"Yes. One of my men shall accompany you. And he will retun for you tomorrow, and make sure you return here. I am required to take you to the Military Science institute, to assess your 'abilities'."

"I…I don't think Dartan or Marja will like that…" She mumbled, more to herself.

"What was that?" Radec asked, looking up at her suddenly.

"…Me sister and her husband, Colonel, sir. They'll think I've been in trouble or summin'" She replied, in a half-whisper, not wanting to tell him it was because her sister hated soldiers ever since their father had joined the military and had been executed on false accusations of cowardice. Zosia never blamed them, it was understandable… she just couldn't hate someone she didn't know, so didn't share the sentiment.

Radec sighed, giving up.

"Alright, alright. You may leave and return here of your own accord. But if I find out you have attempted to evade me or anyone under my orders, I will deal with you personally. Do you understand, Citizen Novolov?" He said, in a thorny tone.

"…Zosia." She whispered.

"What?"

"No one calls me by me last name… I ain't important enough for all that fancy formal stuff Colonel. That makes it sound like I'm one of you." She said, before hurriedly turning and making her way out before he could reply.

He slammed his fist upon his desk, sending papers scattering across the floor. The girl was infuriating him already and he had only just met her. How the hell he was supposed to train her for war, as a weapon on the Helghan Empire was beyond him. But it had to be done. Visari had made it very clear on numerous occasions what the price was for failure.

But another thing had bothered him. What exactly had she meant by saying she wasn't 'one of them'? Her being an Ethereal? He sighed bitterly, and shook his head. What did he care anyway? He had work to do.


End file.
